


playground rules

by fated_addiction



Category: K-pop, Real Person Fiction, Red Velvet (K-pop Band)
Genre: Angst, F/F, Romance, lapslock
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-07
Updated: 2020-07-07
Packaged: 2021-03-04 22:15:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,526
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25133764
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fated_addiction/pseuds/fated_addiction
Summary: "Did you watch it?"Or, why Wendy only listens to the albums.
Relationships: Bae Joohyun | Irene/Son Seungwan | Wendy
Comments: 19
Kudos: 113





	playground rules

“did you watch it?”

at the foot of the bed, joy is sinking into a bowl of popcorn. she chews loudly. throws her phone into the pillows somewhere.

“yeah,” wendy sighs. her chest flutters. she threads her fingers through her bag strap. “half of it.” she eyes joy. “had to go back into recording – you’re pissed.”

“enraged,” joy corrects. the corners of her mouth turn. “at least the beat is cool.”

misery loves company and they have been here before. once, a really long time ago. twice, well, wendy has to work through the second time alone.

but she does sit next to joy. digs her hand into the bowl of popcorn. joy scoffs and her shoulder slumps. the bedroom door is closed.

“how was your recording?”

wendy smiles gently. “we don’t have to talk about that.”

“we should.” joy nudges her shoulder. “i’m happy that you’re active again. and getting more comfortable.”

she shrugs. it feels embarrassing these days. as if going through the motions were something to be celebrated. she craves normalcy not a large celebration. she knows none of the other girls mean it; her scars are just the most present.

“anyways.” wendy grabs the remote. eyes her television – should she do this, she wonders. “it was a lot.”

“are you jealous?”

“don’t make me hit you.” that small flutter comes back. hits her in the chest. wendy bites her lip. “and i guess,” she mutters. tries not. but does. the feeling’s tenacious. comes and goes in spades. because that’s just jealousy. or the knots in her stomach that no one needs to know about.

joy pays no attention. doesn't usually, but then that’s just her charm. digs her hand right back into the popcorn and shoves a handful right into her mouth. there's a loud, resounding crunch. and that’s that.

they watch the video together.

(they always do.)

seulgi and joohyun have always been a thing. a thing- _thing_ : there’s no specific way to clarify it, but it’s always been there, during dance practices when they were all trainees, staying behind to sing _just one more time for the right note_ and of course, oh wow, _wow_ the chemistry is just a lot, way too much and maybe we should just curb it for development. they're beautiful and it’s really just otherworldly the level of intimidation they carry together.

wendy's always just had her voice. most days, that’s what it feels like. these days, it’s a lot more than that. but who’s counting?

so she watches the video. once, alone, like everybody knows; twice, with joy and has to literally drag her down and say _yah park sooyoung, stop being stupid_ because jealousy is really a giant bitch. and none of this is a surprise.

then there’s the next time –

“i'm sorry,” irene says. it's quite possibly the thirtieth time. or wendy is just too tired to count.

“why?” she asks and she feels like this could be a game.

irene shrugs. sits next to her in the empty recording both. wendy doesn’t start her session until ten. she still tries to avoid people. posts on instagram. maybe carries another cover song. it's like a weird version of a forced vacation. forced, for obvious reasons. a vacation – well, it’s just easier to call it that without thinking about how distant being back at work feels like.

wendy watches irene watch her. sits quizzically. maybe this has been a long time coming as it is. she really took the winter hard, the girls tell her. they're careful. irene and seulgi are a thing, but joohyun _and_ seungwan have been dancing around each other for much longer. feels like centuries if she’s honest. If it's joohyun, wendy thinks, she never is.

“i feel like we should have watched the video together,” irene tells her. shifts and drags her legs up over the chair. her hair falls into her eyes and wendy has to stop herself from thinking _you’re pretty_.

it sounds like her apology and wendy hates it. hates that she has to think about it and that’s what she hears.

“all of us?”

irene seems disappointed. “sure.”

“we heard the songs.” wendy tries to recover. reaches forward and flicks her fingers into irene’s open palm. their fingers graze each other. “i told you what i thought then. and that i was proud of you.” she feels a little thoughtless. “of you both. this is a big deal.”

irene's face is never open. but wendy, for whatever reason, is always suddenly able to pick out a mired of emotions. it used to annoy her. most days, the headache still gives in. today it shuffles right into her chest and twists. her eyes follow irene’s mouth as it wrinkles and puckers. her tongue drags against her bottom lip and then it’s her teeth, biting into the skin. 

wendy tries to look away. can't. her hand feels sweaty. the tips of her fingers jerk back and she just stares at irene who, really, hasn’t said anything else.

“it was fun,” irene admits. looks away. her hand grabs wendy’s wrist. then lets go. “the video,” she adds. then stops. it seems like an unspoken thing to do.

it was glitzy and sexy and everything that wendy doesn’t feel like. there's no jealousy in that though; it’s mostly time. hours together. breathing together. _being_ together. it's as if a pathway has been made for feelings. but she’s also self-aware of how she projects. 

all of this feels like the tip of something larger. something that made itself a home between the two of them. that's where everything else is.

she's not ready for it, she thinks.

“it should be.” wendy chooses her words wisely. feels her throat start to get heavy. she should practice, she tries to think. “you did amazing.”

irene searches her face.

“both of you,” wendy adds.

“okay,” she says and finally stands. more like abruptly.

but wendy struggles to catch up anyway. her confusion writes itself across her face and irene reaches for her stuff. like she’s been here too long. 

in the back of her mind, she thinks _good_ because she’s practical when she’s about to work and she feels a little too shy about her voice these days. it’s a couple of hours, this one session. or a distraction. take your pick.

as if she hears her though, irene is right in her face.

it happens too quickly. irene's long fingers corner and cock her chin. tilt it up to look right at her. the fabric of wendy’s mask tightens around her chin and she’s caught completely off guard because irene’s stare feels like it’s too honest for her.

they're silent. maybe too silent. too long. seconds feel like they’re being stretched dramatically into something they’re not. but wendy knows this: she can match the beat of her heart to her breathing and the way that irene’s eyes suddenly twitch as if she’s realizing exactly what she’s doing and can’t panic because hey, they are already here.

irene opens her mouth. then closes it. the light in the booth flickers. wendy's eyes follow the line of her mouth and her heart _swears_ it’s going to burst from her chest. let go of me, she wants to say. can't. her mouth is too dry. and maybe irene looks like she’s going to kiss her. or won’t. or it’s just wendy panicking through her feelings because what else can she do.

“i don’t know why you’re mad at me.”

wendy frowns. “what?” and her voice sounds a little choked. she could be confused, but that feels like a lie.

“we don’t have to talk about it. i don’t think i'm ready to talk about it either, you know. mostly. i don’t know. anyways –” she stops and wendy watches as something crafts itself across her face. something that feels disguised as sympathy and could very well piss her off, but irene hasn’t let go of her face. and wendy might not hate it.

but then slowly, very slowly, her fingers unwind from her chin. one by one. like they’ve been burnt, being there too long. 

wendy becomes acutely aware of how close she is. her face. more than just her mouth. the intensity of her gaze. how hard it is to swallow. maybe she thinks about kissing her. but it’s been awhile since she’s gone there.

“i'll see you at home,” irene says. smiles. and gets ready to greet their producer oppa. in case he walks through the door.

she doesn’t answer though. it just isn’t there.

maybe wendy’s a little mad.

another night, joy and wendy graduate from popcorn to alcohol. they never mean to watch the video again.

well, joy does.

it's in the middle of a dramatic, heavy lidded glare that freezes on wendy’s phone that the truth sort of twists and falls out. if wendy had more to drink, she’d say something about irene’s mouth. not her eyes. but they’re just as pretty too.

“glitter.” joy grins. then glares at seulgi behind irene, tapping her nail into wendy’s phone screen. “always a fucking issue,” she says.

jealousy has no blueprint anyway.


End file.
